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# nu

«nu» in Mova's school dictionary: **The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet, written Ν…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (nu — the Greek letter); interjection (nu — Yiddish, informal)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet, written Ν (capital) and ν (small); it sounds like English «n». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#m1)

2) (Yiddish, informal) A word meaning «well?», «so?» or «come on», heard in some Jewish families' English. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#m2)

3) Sometimes a playful spelling of «new» in brand names («nu-look»). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In maths and science, the small letter ν (nu) is used for frequency in physics or for numbers in some formulas; it looks like a small v, so pupils often mix them up. In the Greek alphabet lessons: alpha, beta, … mu, nu, xi. In stories, a Yiddish-speaking grandparent saying «Nu?» means «Well? Go on!». Not a common English word on its own.

### examples

- Nu is the Greek letter that comes after mu. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x1)
- The small letter nu looks like a v. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x2)
- In physics, nu can stand for frequency. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x3)
- «Nu? Are you going to eat your soup or not?» asked Bubbe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x4)
- The alphabet song in Greek goes «…lambda, mu, nu, xi…». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x5)
- The shop sign said «Nu Look Hair» instead of «New Look». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/#x6)

### note

Not an ordinary English word: it is a Greek letter name, a Yiddish interjection, or a playful spelling of «new». Pronounced «new» or «noo». Trap: in printed formulas ν (nu) and v (vee) look almost the same.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «nu» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nu/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.